As a Mother...

"When you have a child, 

you decide to have your heart 

living a lifetime 

outside your body."

~Unknown

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Sweetness in Little Flowers

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By Cicely Mary Barker, 

about her faith in Jesus as her Savior.

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The Joy We Can Learn From Snoopy

~SCHULTZ
 

..."For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."...

"...Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart."...

Luke/kjv  2/nasb

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Let us treasure all these things also.

-internet picture

People Always Need Help

We are all in need of help sometimes

Psalm 9:9-10

..."The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed,

A stronghold in times of trouble;

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,

For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You."...

Psalm 27:4-5

..."One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the Lord

And to meditate in His temple.

For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;

In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;

He will lift me up on a rock."...

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;

He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

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Are you looking for help?

Find a well-grounded, Bible Believing Christian to talk with as they are probably able to answer your questions, point you in the right direction, or send you to another well-ground Believer who can answer your questions.

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Problem solved, God is so Good.

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What do they ever do for me?

-Schulz

*Classic cynicism from the Lucy character.*

What joy, though, to ponder the stars and Who made them!

Glory!

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Psalm 8

O Lord, our Lord,


How majestic is Your name in all the earth,


Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!


From the mouth of infants and nursing babes 

You have established strength


Because of Your adversaries,


To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

When I consider Your heavens, 

the work of Your fingers,


The moon and the stars, 

which You have ordained;


What is man that You take thought of him,


And the son of man that You care for him?


Yet You have made him a little lower than God,


And You crown him with glory and majesty!


You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;


You have put all things under his feet,


All sheep and oxen,


And also the beasts of the field,


The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,


Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,


How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

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What do we need for today?

~MUTTS 

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Right Attitudes Produce Right Thinking

 ~Schulz

Ephesians 4:22-24

..."in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."...

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Oh Why, Oh Why, LORD?!

1 Corinthians 4:1-5

"Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself.

For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.

Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God."...

Psalm 73

"Surely God is good to Israel,


To those who are pure in heart!

 

But as for me, 

my feet came close to stumbling,


My steps had almost slipped.

For I was envious of the arrogant


As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

For there are no pains in their death,


And their body is fat.

They are not in trouble as other men,


Nor are they plagued like mankind.

Therefore pride is their necklace;


The garment of violence covers them.

Their eye bulges from fatness;


The imaginations of their heart run riot.

They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;


They speak from on high.

They have set their mouth against the heavens,


And their tongue parades through the earth.

Therefore his people return to this place,


And waters of abundance are drunk by them.

They say, 

“How does God know?


And is there knowledge with the Most High?”

Behold, 

these are the wicked;


And always at ease, 

they have increased in wealth.

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure


And washed my hands in innocence;

For I have been stricken all day long


And chastened every morning.

If I had said, 

“I will speak thus,”


Behold, 

I would have betrayed the generation of Your children.

When I pondered to understand this,


It was troublesome in my sight

Until I came into the sanctuary of God;


Then I perceived their end.

Surely You set them in slippery places;


You cast them down to destruction.

How they are destroyed in a moment!


They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!

Like a dream when one awakes,


O Lord, 

when aroused, 

You will despise their form.

When my heart was embittered


And I was pierced within,

Then I was senseless and ignorant;


I was like a beast before You.

Nevertheless I am continually with You;


You have taken hold of my right hand.

With Your counsel You will guide me,


And afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You?


And besides You, 

I desire nothing on earth.

My flesh and my heart may fail,


But God is the strength of my heart 

and my portion forever.

For, behold, 

those who are far from You will perish;


You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.

But as for me, 

the nearness of God is my good;


I have made the Lord God my refuge,


That I may tell of all Your works.

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The Things Which are Felt in the Heart

 

Christmas Joy

There is nothing like Christmas decorating, Christmas Baking, Christmas singing, Christmas presents...

Oh, yes there is! 

Knowing Jesus as your very own Savior! 

Now THAT is CHRISTMAS JOY!

Romans 6:23

..."For the wages of sin is death! 

but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!!!!"

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~AprilCornell 

Wisdom

 

Never Give Up

"We mothers put up such a good fight--

--But we don't always win."

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The one thing we do have--

The LORD GOD is on our side

and He never gives up.

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My Unexpected Joy

This world is full of woes...

Ecclesiastes 8:11

..."When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong."...

No matter who you are there are sorrows and troubles in your life or around you. 

The difference in each person is if they trust the LORD with Jesus as their Savior. Believers see life here differently; we see it in God's perspective.

The BIGGEST difference ever.

John 11:33

..."These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. 

In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Those of us who trust in Jesus with their lives have just as many, maybe more sorrows, heart aches...but we remember the LORD to whom we belong, and if we falter we eventually remember and cry out to the One and Only who can help us through our sorrows.

1 Peter:12-13

..."Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation."...

Some day we will be with the LORD.

John 1:18 

..."No one has ever seen God.
The One and Only Son—
the One who is at the Father’s side—
He has revealed Him."...

This will be our triumph because of Jesus and it will be all Joy!

Until this certain time we can certainly find His Joy even among our many and saddest sorrows. 

Among our sadnesses in this world we can find...

Unexpected Joy!

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Honor Your Mother and Father is for real

~From another mom 

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Exodus 20:12

..."“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.`"...

And the one after that is pretty good also...

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Grieving for the mother who sent this to us.

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So Pretty!

~Fancy Flours 

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Something Poignant then Silly

 -By Schulz

Snowflakes, but no snow for us today

~FancyFlours 

Isaiah 1:18

...“Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the Lord,

“Though your sins are as scarlet,

They will be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They will be like wool."...

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Mothers are known for their compassions

 -ROSE is ROSE

Stick with The Truth

 "It is of great importance to set a resolution, 

not to be shaken, 

never to tell an untruth. 

"There is no vice so mean, 

so pitiful, 

so contemptible; 

and he who permits himself to tell a lie once, 

finds it much easier to do it a second 

and a third time, 

till at length it becomes habitual; 

he tells lies without attending to it, 

and truths without the world's believing him."

---Thomas Jefferson (1785)

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A Gem of a Jewel

This world is not our home -this is a way of thinking and of living for a Christian, a Believer in Jesus as our Savior. 

We have a great and wonderful Truth in which to set our hope.

Trouble is a way of life in this world. Sorrows, injustices, hatred, falsehoods, betrayals...

But as a Believer we rest our hope in our life with Jesus among a fallen world. Our choices are to be aware of our surroundings, but to live in joy because of our Savior.

All day, everyday we can find comfort and joy in Him. Troubles can envelope us, but we can choose to look and remember the "gems and jewels" which surround us or the memories we treasure and His word in our hearts and minds.

Don't give up, don't give in to this world's choices, evil, and treachery. There is a way of life that is so very worth living, and this life is living for the Lord Jesus!

Look around you--if only in your memories and live a life of "gems and jewels".

Glory to the LORD!

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2 Corinthians 5:6-7

..."Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— "

Romans 8:18

..."For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us"....

1 Peter 2:9-10

..."But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."...

James 1:22

..."But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves."...

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A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving

~Kinsman Company Photo

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Praising the LORD with you!

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I, sadly, know a few of these people...

There is still time to seek the truth.

Worldly people can blind your right thinking.

Lies can be woven into "their truth". 

Open your eyes for the LORD to show you His Truth!---not theirs!

The LORD is waiting for you...

Lamentations 3:22-23

..."The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,

For His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness."...

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I will never expire.

 ~ PLUGGERS

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Getting Away for the Weekend

 

The Lamb and the Lion of Judah

H/T American Family Association: Ed Vitagliano

Their article:

It is not a stretch to say that the Book of Revelation reveals the Conqueror and His conquerors. The defeat of evil is a theme that is visible throughout the book, and nowhere is it more clearly in view than in chapter 5.

Moreover, Revelation portrays the spiritual warfare behind human history, painting great truths about the King and His kingdom as well as the intensifying nature of spiritual warfare at the end of the age. It presents in unforgettable symbolism the spiritual warfare of Ephesians 6 and the timeless truths of passages like Romans 8:31-39.

Weeping and sorrow

As the chapter opens, we see a book in the right hand of Almighty God, who is seated upon His throne as King, Lord, and Ruler of creation. The purposes of God are sealed up in this book, and a man must open it if they are to be realized.

But no one is found who “is worthy to open the book and to break its seals.” The issue of worthiness is of critical importance in this heavenly scene, and this worthiness translates into the ability to open the book: “no one … was able to open the book or to look into it.”

So, John weeps (“greatly,” it says in vs. 4), because the redemptive plan appears to come to an abrupt, shuddering stop, leaving mankind and this world in the grip of corruption, death, and despair.

Stop and see 

Yet John is told by an elder, “Stop weeping,” and see something (“behold.”) There is a truth God intends the apostle to see, and, by extension, we are to see it too. It is a truth that ends sorrow for the Christian. It is neither a myth nor a blind faith, but a truth that liberates the broken heart and places the soul on a firm foundation.

John is told that “the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals” (vs. 5).

Someone has, in fact, overcome so that the book can be opened and the redemptive plan of God can flow forth. This is why tears can cease – for the purposes of God can now triumph. God has found His champion of humanity, who can lead a new, redeemed race to its intended glorification. Only God can so act that despair is forever vanquished!

Not surprisingly, this Overcomer is portrayed as a “Lion” – a majestic, conquering warrior. He is a man of earthbound history – not myth, like Hercules – tied to the Jews as a member of the tribe that gave that people the name “Jew” itself: Judah. And He is a descendant of “David,” the greatest of Israelite kings and the great warrior poet who was a man after God’s own heart. Of course, as we know, this man is Jesus.

The price paid for overcoming

However, when John looks to see this Lion, this conquering Messiah, he instead sees “a Lamb standing, as if slain.” As commentators note, this Lamb bears the marks of ritual slaughter, killed to shed blood for the remission of sins and the redemption of those who believe. This Lamb died for us on the cross (John 1:29), and yet the Lamb is standing after slaughter – a clear symbol of the resurrection.

The switch in imagery between the Lion and the Lamb is critical to a proper understanding of the Book of Revelation:

In order to be the Lion of Judah, Jesus first had to be the Lamb of God.

When John is told that this Lion/Lamb had “overcome” in order to take the book, break its seals, open it, and look into it, it is linked to worthiness. In turn, worthiness is linked to being slain (vv. 6, 9).

Here is the key to understanding the path taken by Jesus to save lost humanity, as well as understanding the Christian life and the spiritual warfare that engulfs the church: overcoming springs out of submission.

This principle is present everywhere in the New Testament. For example, in Romans 5:12-21, Paul says that the disobedience of the earthly Adam was overturned by the obedience of Christ, who is the heavenly man (the second Adam, also called the “last Adam” in 1 Corinthians 15:45-47.)

The pride of the man in the Garden of Eden was countered by the humility of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. Adam’s grasping for equality with God (Genesis 3:5) was overturned by the surrender of Jesus Christ to the will of His Father, as Jesus did not view equality with God as something to be grasped (Philippians 2:6).

But the submission of Jesus to the Father is most powerfully expressed in His willingness to die: “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).

God in His wisdom made death the penalty for Adam’s disobedience in the garden, but God then used death to be the very instrument by which He would undo the curse of sin and break its power over the life of the redeemed.

Honor for the Overcomer

Therefore, we see in Revelation 5 that power and authority is birthed out of death. The Lion/Lamb now rules the creation of God. He is no longer bound by earthly flesh but glorified and manifesting His full divine power and nature. He is worshiped by all creation, including all obedient angels, as well as the redeemed.

He has received “power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (vs. 12), as well as “dominion forever and ever” (vs. 13).

Christ’s humility and obedience, resulting in His death on the cross, lead to the familiar words of Philippians 2:9-11, where Paul states:

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

For the Christian then, the principle is the same. We are called to humble ourselves and obey the Lord – and expect great things as the result: out of weakness comes strength (2 Corinthians 12:9-10); if a man loses his life for Jesus’s sake, he will find it (Matthew 16:25); and only when a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies will it eventually produce much fruit (John 12:24).

Because we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 5:9), He has made us “to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth” (vs. 10).

What a great honor for God’s people! And yet, are we to be lions without being lambs? Our victory comes through suffering and sacrifice in the context of spiritual warfare:

And they overcame [the dragon] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death (Revelation 12:11).

Thus, the people of God are also called to be overcomers who bear their cross, submit to God, and proclaim His glorious truth – which leads to conflict with the enemy. In doing so, however, we are used by the Lion/Lamb to break apart demonic strategies, shatter prison doors, and unchain captives.

So, we must be willing to go forward into the breach and into the fray where it is the thickest and most dangerous. As we lay down our lives for the glory of Jesus Christ, we shall overcome the dragon.

Our reward for such overcoming faithfulness is that we will sit down with Christ on His throne and rule the nations with Him (Revelation 2:26-27; 3:21).

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Thank you again:

American Family Association: Ed Vitagliano/July,19,2022

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Our Lives Should Be a Good Example

~ROSE is ROSE 

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Psalm 32:11

..."Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, 

you righteous ones;


And shout for joy, 

all you who are upright in heart."

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Happy Veterans Day 2023 -a few days late...

 

When is Jesus coming?

 1 Corinthians 15:52

..."in a moment, 

in the twinkling of an eye,

 at the last trumpet; 

for the trumpet will sound,

 and the dead will 

be raised imperishable, 

and we

[those to trust Jesus as their Savior]

will be changed."...

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Cuddle Weather

Our laps are full also!

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Our Autumn Slips By Us So Very Fast

High winds and cold temperatures brought our beautiful Autumn to a close this last week, but we can still remember the vivid colors and warm days.

Thank you, LORD, for Your creation...

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

"There is an appointed time for everything. 

And there is a time for every event under heaven—

A time to give birth and a time to die;

A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

A time to kill and a time to heal;

A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to weep and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn and a time to dance.

A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

A time to search and a time to give up as lost;

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;

A time to be silent and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate;

A time for war and a time for peace."...

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Just Something Silly: 5 Cents Please

 

The Most Extraordinary Thing

Psalm 127

"Unless the Lord builds the house,


They labor in vain who build it;


Unless the Lord guards the city,


The watchman keeps awake in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early,


To retire late,


To eat the bread of painful labors;

For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,


The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,


So are the children of one’s youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;


They will not be ashamed


When they speak with their enemies in the gate."

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In Honor of My Mary Nell

~PLUGGERS

Happy memories of every recipe she made, every cake she decorated, every baby afghan she made, and for all the stories of whom she spoke with on the phone while sharing the Good News.

I am thankful for this precious woman who was in my life. I am a better person for the LORD because of her sweet friendship and loving testimony.

Glory to God!

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Ephesians 3:17-19

"May Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

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Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall...Snoopy Style

 

The LORD is Our Fuel

When you're "out of fuel" 

-rest in the LORD

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

..."And He has said to me, 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” 

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong."...

2 Thessalonians  3:1-5

"Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command.

May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ."...

Psalm 29:11

..."The Lord will give strength to His people;

The Lord will bless His people with peace."

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